996 or Maserati?

[sbarbier]

There are many forums out there that I would not dare to post this question on but I think you guys would provide some valuable input. I am finally adding to my garage and it will likely be a 2002 911 or 2002 Maserati. I've done months of research and each seem to offer their own benefits. I'm obviously in a 996 forum so expect some favoritism towards that model and to be fair will post the same question on the Maserati forum. I'm hoping there is someone out there that knows both and can give some real advice. This will be a weekend / good weather only vehicle since I already have a couple of other DD's and a Cayenne S.

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[uberpoop]

Before I found the 996 I have now I was also looking at Maseratis.
Damn sexy cars. Damn sexy.
I already knew a bit about 996s, but not much about Maserati's.
Also, I had heard a clutch job is frequent on those Italians, and damn expensive.
So, I went with the German.

But everytime I see a Maserati on the road I can't help but think "What if..."

sorry... not much help.

[sbarbier]

That's actually what I'm trying to avoid, the "D$%* now I'm going to have to buy one of those too!", and end up with two cars and a divorce. Wait, that's only one car. That won't work either.

[L8braker]

Well I considered them as well, and the Maserati is a reliable engine and has a timing chain not a belt, so the maitenance is no where near the 360 which shares the same engine. However it will still be alot of money to take care of and parts will be much harder to find.

In the end I bought a 02 C4S and I am not looking back at all. I can drive this with no fear. I had a Lotus Esprit V8 that left me stranded 3 hours from home....so reliability is an issue for me.

[MK1_Tuff*typing]

hit up Maseratislife.com. i asked them the same question your asking us, they told me about yearly maitenance costs to be around $4-14 dollars at under 10k miles per year. I guess the "f1" tranny has some crazy service and the dry stump oil system need major service yearly... Do a search on there fourm and you'll get the same info.

Good luck!

[hockeychamp]

Maserati sounds good and looks good but I'd be worried about maintenance but maybe ok for weekend car

[BDPorsche]

The maintenance would probably give me a mild heart attack...

[Kirk]

I also looked at the Maserati Coupe GT's - specifically 2002 to 2004. The prices on them have continued to drop and you can find them now with 30K miles or less for $25,000. Low price when I was looking around April was $28K.

I ended up deciding to buy a 2003 C4S instead and actually paid MORE. I test drove some of the Maseratis and I was a member on Maserati Life. What swayed me was the maintenance costs. You can get a manual transmission that's cheaper to maintain than the F1. However, take a look around at just what replacement parts cost. One problem is that there is only ONE Maserati parts discounter on the Internet and they carry a very limited number of parts. Even discounted, the parts you'll need like wheel bearings, brake rotors, shocks, etc. are just crazy expensive. With having owned a Boxster S for four years I knew I have SEVERAL sources for cheap parts on the web and I knew I could work on the car myself (not true with replacing the Maserati F1 clutch). All in all I figured that the cost of ownership for having a Maserati Coupe GT for 10 years would be $10,000 more than a Porsche 996! I wanted a car that I would drive, not one that I would not drive for fear of it breaking. Plus if you blow an engine, a used replacement is around $20K for the Maserati and only $6K for the Porsche.

In the end though pick what suits you. They are two very different cars. The Maserati GT is more of a Grand Touring car while the 911 is more of a pure sports car. The rear seats in the Maserati are WONDERFUL and actually fit adults. The rear seats in the 911 are a joke. If you need the rear seats, then get the Maserati.

[OS Inspector]

i looked at both cars extensively i couldn't find the year model 02-04 to test drive. but i couldn't get around how often you have to fix nuisance items door locks window motors just annoying stuff, and every used car dealer i talked to that does exotics hates selling them cause they always bring back a pissed off customer because something went wrong and it costs a ton to fix.

i drove one porsche and knew what i was going to buy i still test drove other cars but nothing matched. if your not looking for a daily driver or wanted 4 doors id love me a quatro porte freaking sexy car or the gran turismo's but i need a car i put 30k miles on with minimal service.

[djantlive]

get a 996. if u can afford $8k / yr on maint and repairs, u ought to buy a ferrari instead.

[jstrat85]

only if it the the gt!

[Sleepy996]

A clean well modded 996 will turn just as many heads or more the a 02-04 Maserati and you can actually enjoy driving the crap out of it without any worries.

[beantowntechy]

My father in law has an 07 Maserati...not sure what model...4 door i know. The car is pretty, and I drive it every time I visit them in in Florida. I am not an experienced of enough driver to articulate my point, but all I can say is that it doesn't give me anywhere near the driving experience my porsche does.

[MCM97]

or you can pay me $30k and every two weeks I'll beat you up, make your wife take you to work and then send you a repair bill. It's pretty much the same experience except someone actually benefits

[tanman]

Just picked up a QP for my wife from Maserati of Silicon Valley. Wonderful experience from this dealership.

She loves the car, turns more heads than her S500 or even my C4S. Plenty of grunt, but slow because of weight. Not built for speed, but nothing sexier on the road specially for a 4 door. Newer Maseratis are much more reliable than older models. Clutch repair is your main concern with older models.